Mattie's Broadcast by Veronica Simmonds published on 2023-01-20T16:35:19Z In Hebrew, the word for listen is shma. Shma, is the first word of one of the most sacred jewish prayers. This is the first prayer Jews recite in the morning, the last prayer they recite at night. It is often recited at the moment of death. And it is a prayer asking the Jewish people to listen. Veronica Simmonds is a radio producer based in Canada, she has spent every day of her professional life listening. She always thought of radio as a calling but only recently has she started to connect this call to her Judaism. This shift happened when she learned that her great grand aunt Mattie Rotenburg was also a broadcaster. During the most vicious period of the Holocaust in 1943, Mattie was a commentator on the CBC Radio program Trans-Canada Matinée. And when Veronica heard one particular broadcast of Mattie’s, her understanding of listening and Judaism deepened. In order to make sense of it she took the tape to her Rabbi, Rabbi Tina Grimberg. This is their conversation. Content warning: This piece contains graphic details of the violent persecution of Jews during the holocaust. Air date: Tuesday 6 Sep 2022 Broadcaster: Short Cuts BBC4 Falling Tree Producer Veronica Simmonds, Editor Eleanor McDowall Featuring music from Alphabet of Wrongdoing by Cantor/Composer/Vocalist Daniela Gesundheit. With gratitude to Mattie Rotenburg Genre Religion & Spirituality